Paedophile hunters were criticised in court for luring a man to Nottingham Railway Station to meet a 14-year-old girl who does not exist.

Defence solicitor Julian Griffiths said it amounted to setting a trap and encouraging law-breaking. He questioned whether it was the right way to tackle internet grooming.

He represents a warehouseman who spent weeks chatting on the internet with a girl whose identity had been invented by a group called H7D, which stands for Hunting Seven Days a Week.

Rohullah Bismellah, 24, said he believed the girl was over 16. He denies attempting to meet a girl aged 14 for sexual activity; attempting to start sexual communication with a child; trying to cause a child to view a photo of a couple having sex.

He has admitted sending pornographic pictures and making sexual comments during conversations with a woman who was posing as the girl.

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When questioned by the judge, Bismellah, of Thomas Street, Coventry, accepted that he sent a sex photograph as soon as the chat began. He claimed this was an error and he intended to post his own photo.

The judge asked: "Why not say 'oh my goodness, I am sorry, I have sent the wrong picture?'"

Bismellah responded: "I got busy with my answer and thinking about the picture no more."